Man who was assaulted ultimately arrested for DUI

A concerned citizen called police because a car crash had occurred behind his house, but there was no sign of a driver anywhere.

Police found a BMW upside down along the tree line. It was heavily damaged. It appeared to have been travelling at a high rate of speed and drove off the right side of the road and flipped.

Police ran the license plate number and found that the owner of the car lived just down the street. They went to the home where the car was registered. The man who came to the door looked like he had just woken up and could not have been driving. He admitted to owning the car, but would not say who had been driving it. In fact, he said he did not want to make anymore statements.

The officer believed the man had children of driving age and asked if his son was home and if he was okay. Again he said he did not want to say anything. The officer said he simply needed to know if his son was okay since EMS had been dispatched and was waiting at the scene. The man said his son was fine, but again reiterated he was not going to say anything else.

The officer then turned to leave and told the man that if he changed his mind and wanted to talk, he should contact him at the police station. The officer told him that is also where he could find out information about who towed his car and how to get it out of impoundment.

The officer returned to the scene where he found the son’s college books, his license and a trunk full of empty beer cans.

The paperwork linking the son as the driver was put into evidence, according to the report.

No tip for you

Two women went out to eat one day and when their order came to the table, it was incorrect. They sent the dishes back and waited for the correct food order to be prepared.

When that arrived the women tasted it and were not satisfied. They agreed they were not satisfied with the service or the food and decided to pay the bill and leave.

They did not leave a tip however, which infuriated their server.

The server then followed them out of the restaurant and had words with the customers, but the argument grew heated and the customers left the area until police arrived.

But the customers and the server were able to come to an agreement and told the responding officer that it was a business misunderstanding and all had been settled, the report said.

Have another drink

Police were called by a concerned citizen that a fight was in progress at a local bank. When officers arrived there was a male and a female surrounded by several onlookers.

The man said he was assaulted by another man who had left the scene. The victim had swelling on his face and was extremely intoxicated, the incident report said. He refused medical treatment. The female who was with him was also extremely intoxicated, according to the police report, and was unable to provide police with any information as to what had occurred.

The victim told police he only knows his alleged assailant by his street name. He said they pulled into the bank, just before the ATM machine and he noticed the subject pulling in behind him. The suspect got out of his car and came to the window of the victim’s car and began arguing with him. The suspect accused him of owing him money from a long time ago. Then, according to the police report, the suspect punched the victim in the face. The victim said he then pulled forward and exited the car and the two began fighting.

Officers began taking statements from witnesses and began patrolling the area. A witness gave them a possible license plate number, but it belonged to a woman out of Myrtle Beach who was deceased.

In the meantime, the couple was not allowed to continue driving since they were so intoxicated. A cab picked them up to take them home and the car was parked for them to come pick up the next day. Officers assured him they would patrol the lot so that no one messed with his car during the night.

The victim must have forgotten they would be patrolling. The victim, who was still drunk, according to the police report, returned to get his car. He was seen trying to drive off and was arrested for DUI.

Reckless

A barista at a local coffee shop arrived at work early one morning to open up shop when she saw a suspicious car in the parking lot. The driver saw her arrive and started driving around the shared parking lot very recklessly. The barista later told police that the driver did not appear to be in control of the vehicle and continued to the shared parking lot of a drug store, drove around the building and continued until the driver slammed the car into a curb and stopped. The driver then laid her head down on the steering wheel and passed out. That is when the barista called police.

The vehicle was still running when police arrived and they had great trouble waking the driver. Finally an officer reached in and made sure the car was in park and turned it off. According to the report, the officer had to lift the driver’s head to get her to wake up and it took her a few minutes to focus.

She was asked about her consumption of alcohol and she said she had a glass of wine and a shot at work. Because she admitted to drinking, she was asked to perform field sobriety tests.

She was not able to pass any of them successfully and was informed of her Miranda rights. She was then asked if she wanted to discuss what transpired that evening. This time she said she had a glass and a half of wine and a shot.

She was then questioned about open containers. She made no mention of the large bottle of Fireball, but denied the small mini bottle of Fireball was hers. She refused to blow and was taken to jail for DUI and open container.

5 o’clock somewhere

Police were called to a local restaurant by a concerned citizen. According to the report, the citizen was taking a friend out for lunch and on the way there they noticed the car in front of them swerving all over the road. They followed the car to a shopping center. The driver then stopped at a liquor store and came out carrying two bottles of vodka. Then the driver drove to a nearby restaurant and went inside. The concerned citizen said he as concerned this individual might be drunk.

Police went inside the restaurant and found the man. The officer introduced himself and asked him to step outside. He could see that the suspect was very unsteady on his feet and possibly intoxicated.

The officer asked him how much he had to drink and he said one margarita with his lunch.

The officer asked him about the liquor he purchased and if he had consumed any of it. He said he didn’t and showed the officer the two unopened bottles.

The officer asked him again how much he had to drink and this time he said he had two margaritas. Then he stopped and said he had one and a half.

According to the report, the officer then asked the man what was going on and if there was anything they could do to help him. They explained to him that they were concerned since it was 1:30 in the afternoon and he was allegedly drunk.

He at first stated no but then after police asking him again, he confessed he had some personal issues going on at home. The officers explained that they would help him in any way they could and asked if he had someone who could come pick up his car and give him a ride home. He said no, but he could take a taxi home. He admitted he was in no condition to drive, according to the report. So police offered him a ride home. he went back in the restaurant and settled his tab and got a ride home from the officers. He said his wife could come get the car later that evening.

Bad choice

Teenagers aren’t the brightest lamps on the street sometimes. It it is particularly evident to patrolling police officers when teenagers park under a street light in a business complex that is closed for the night.

An officer on patrol saw a car in the back parking lot of this particular business and approached it. The windows were down and he could immediately smell marijuana. He knocked on the window and the driver rolled it down.

Three girls were in the vehicle. The officer asked the driver what she was doing in the parking lot and she didn’t answer. But a girl in the back seat said they were waiting on friends.

The officer then asked if there was any pot in the car since he could smell it. The driver started crying and all three girls said there was no marijuana in the car.

The officer told the girls to be honest and asked them again, and this time the driver admitted that there was pot in the car. She was asked to step out of the car and questioned. She said they had just bought the pot in North Charleston and that there was a bottle of wine under the car seat. She said they had not sipped on it since earlier that afternoon.

However, when the officer searched the car he found the bottle to be empty and a red solo cup full of wine in the cup holder.

All three were counseled about underage possession and alcohol being in the car while driving.

Then the officer asked all three girls what they were intending to smoke the reefer with. One girl began to tell the officer, but was quickly interrupted by another girl who said they left their pipe at home.

But, lo and behold, the officer found a pipe hidden under the seat. They then admitted to knowing it was there, but said it was a friend’s and had been there since earlier in the week when they all went to a concert.

The driver was then issued a citation for simple possession and released. The other two, because they were not 18 yet, were issued the same tickets and made to call a parent to come pick them up. The wine was poured out and the bottle and weed and pipe were taken in as evidence.

The Police Blotter is intended to be an informative and/or humorous column written from police reports obtained from the Mount Pleasant Police Department. Many of the stories come from the initial incident reports and, occasionally, supplemental reports. Generally, cases have not been adjudicated at the time of publication. See more columns at www.moultrienews.com.

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